Second opinion vs health insurance crisis in Pittsburgh

[Rhwright12]

So I went for a second opinion today...nice staff...knowledgeable doctor...access to clinical trials if needed...infusion room didn’t look like a dungeon! 😂

But...but believe it or not UPMC in Pittsburgh has begun their own health insurance company and they will only accept their own insurance as of June 1...They also own the only hospital in New Castle. They are forcing a monopoly in the area. The Hillman Center will call my insurance company on Monday because cancer patients have the right to access to better treatment centers than what is in their community. But I don’t have the UPMC insurance...Ugh! I was so excited! And it’s only 30 min away...Cleveland Clinic is 1 1/2-2 hours away...So...Now the waiting game. Sad thing is I have good insurance...😢

[Rhwright12]

Hi Girlsptz!

Yes what a mess here! Especially for a cancer patient! I can’t get the UPMC insurance nor do I want it...My husband and I live in Ohio...so it would be over an hour drive from work for him to see a doctor if he needed to. And it would not allow us access to our GP, dentist, optometrist...Plus they have 40 hospitals in the whole US so if u travel and u have to go to the Urgent Care for something u will pay a rate of 60/40 with no cap because it’s out of network...What a crazy mess we have here! At this point I think I’ll wait till June 1 and see where the chips fall...so sad I really would have loved to go there and have access to more cutting edge stuff and clinical trials if I need them down the road...😀

[kduck]

Are you still ned? I would think if you was ned, that would make your condition a little better than not being ned

[Rhwright12 in reply to kduck]

Yes my numbers are still around 20 so I’m still doing very well. But I was just looking into a larger center with more advanced care and with clinical trials...my current facility doesn’t offer trials just standard of care meds...which is fine for now but I’d like to be somewhere that had advanced care available in case I need it in the future...😀

[kduck in reply to Rhwright12]

Sounds great, im also still ned and I check almost every day to see what's new and when will it be available

[Red71]

It sounds like UPMC would lose a lot of potential patients on good insurance by accepting only their own insurance. I hope something gets straightened out and you get the care you need and want. I have good insurance also but I can see that sometimes that might not be enough with the crazy health care system we have here in the US.

[Bishtown]

I did not hear that. I doctor with Hillman in Pittsburgh, bone scans (one scheduled this week) at St Margaret’s in Harmarville, and my chemo oncologist has an office in Butler where I go to for bloodwork every week. My insurance is through United Healthcare. Now you have me worried. I live about an hour north of Pittsburgh. Don’t know where else I would go. We are over three hours from Cleveland Clinic. Ugh!

[Rhwright12 in reply to Bishtown]

Hi! They might accept United...they are feuding with Highmark which has alighend themselves with Allegheny Medical. Since I’m with Anthem they are aligning themselves with Highmark since it is also Blue Cross Blue Shield. (Most be a union kind of thing.) All the teachers are in a panic in New Castle because they have Highmark and will be shut out of the hospital system in Lawrence county June 1 as UPMC owns Jamieson in NC and Sharon Regional...it’s a mess...this is America! U shouldn’t be shut out of a hospital when u have insurance! Good insurance to boot!

That being said I still have my old faithful here in OH...It’s a standard of care place...no access to clinical trials or anything new...I’m good for now with that...but this can change next year or two and I’d like be prepared before it happens. 😀

[Purple60]

This is sad to hear! I was just singing the praises of UPMC on a different thread and what a wonderful patient experience. We traveled from NY to UPMC each month to see a specialist there for my sister several years ago. I know that patients travel by car from neighboring states as well. And what about patients who want to go for second opinions.....very disappointed to hear this business decision rather than a decision to improve patient care!

[Rhwright12 in reply to Purple60]

I know I soo excited to start there...Hopefully by the June 1 dead line someone will come to their senses and straighten this thing out! It’s all money related and not patient care...kinda of like the book of Revelations the letter to Philadelphia We have all forgotten our first love and purpose here...😢

[mariootsi in reply to Rhwright12]

So sorry they are putting money ahead of people!

[Rhwright12 in reply to Purple60]

Exactly! 😀

[Francesca10]

Sorry that didn’t work out for you. I know you were excited to go and see. Honestly, the whole health care system here sucks. The things I am finding out about insurance, working at 65 and older is really disheartening, and then seeing so much about cancer care costs and it not being covered is really deplorable.